AG hopeful: Stance on guns hasn't softened

Monday

Aug 4, 2014 at 12:01 AMAug 4, 2014 at 3:22 PM

By Brad PetrishenDaily News Staff

Former state Sen. Warren Tolman on Thursday said leadership sets him apart in the race for Attorney General, dismissing recent claims from opponents that he’s softened his ambitious plans for gun reform."It’s about leadership," Tolman said of the race. "I’m willing to take on seemingly intractable issues – not because they're easy, but because they’re timely and they deserve to be addressed."Tolman spoke forcefully about a range of topics, including gun control, campus rape and criminal justice reform, during a sit-down with MetroWest Daily News editors.The former gubernatorial candidate said he hasn’t stepped back his stance on guns, a charge his Democratic primary opponent Maura Healey made after a recent interview Tolman gave The Sun of Lowell.In speeches and in campaign literature, Tolman has said he’s the only candidate in the race who will take on the National Rifle Association and require all new guns sold in the state feature "smart" technology.Such guns, which he said have been in design for more than 10 years but suppressed by the NRA, use fingerprint or other technology to ensure the gun owner is the only person who can fire the weapon.In a videotaped interview with The Sun, Tolman said "some" new guns would need the technology, and told an editor smart guns would be "available for purchase."Seizing on the word "some," Healey accused Tolman of backtracking in a press release. A video of unknown origin posted to YouTube alleges Tolman "flip-flopped" after conducting a $30,000 poll.Tolman Thursday said his goal is still to mandate that all new guns sold in the state have smart technology. He said his statement that he wanted to make the guns "available" didn’t intimate the absence of a mandate, but rather took into account the fact that people could choose to not buy new guns and buy older guns instead."I don’t see retrofitting of existing guns happening," he said. "I’m only dealing with new guns."The video accusing Tolman of a flop was put out by an anonymous user, "SmartGun FlipFlop." Healey’s campaign said Thursday the video was put out by a supporter but didn't come directly from the campaign.Tolman said even if his agenda only extended to "some" guns, it would still be more than Healey is willing to do. Healey has said she does not believe the AG has the authority to order guns to feature the technology, though she does support making smart guns available.Tolman pointed to a 1999 court case he believes provides clear precedent.In that case, the state Supreme Judicial Court upheld a move by then-AG Scott Harshbarger requiring gun triggers to be harder to squeeze to cut down on accidental shootings by children."That case upheld the ability of the Attorney General to regulate guns as an ‘unsafe product,’" Tolman said. "Just because we haven’t used (that authority) in a while doesn’t mean we don’t have it."Tolman also discussed campus rapes, saying he believes colleges and universities could use a nudge from the AG to do more to change campus culture and investigate sexual assaults more thoroughly."We’ve got a serious problem here," he said. "We need to help change the behavior."Tolman said during his tenure in the Legislature from 1991 to 1999, he took on big tobacco, ethics reform and campaign finance."I know how to get it done," he said, adding that he would use his skills as a leader to push for repeals of mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.Brad Petrishen can be reached at 508-490-7463 or bpetrishen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishen_MWDN.